The Arrival of Pup

The pup has grown up - at long last.

With scores of 329 and 210 in the last 2 innings, Michael Clarke appears to be playing as well as his talent has long promised.

It has been a roller coaster ride for the current Australian captain who was long groomed for the honour even before he made his test debut against India in Bangalore in 2004. Back then, Clarke, only 23, made 151 in his first ever test innings. It was a sensational start to what everyone was tipping to be a long and sensational career.

Alas, after another ton against the Kiwis that same summer, Clarke's next century would only come in 2006. His test career met a huge roadblock in the seminal Ashes series of 2005 and he was dropped by selectors, forced to work on his game after being found out by England's pace bowlers in Australia's first Ashes loss since 1987.

Clarke continued to appear in the limited overs game for Australia and continued to improve his batting and finally returned to the test lineup against Bangladesh in April 2006. His return to established test batsman was confirmed with the injury to Shane Watson prior to the 2006-07 Ashes series.

After being considered the weak link by the English in 2005, Clarke set about putting the record straight and scored two tons in the decisive tests in Adelaide and Perth.

Clarke has been in the Australian test side since and when Adam Gilchrist retired from test cricket in 2008, Clarke was an automatic choice for vice captain to Ricky Ponting. However, times were changing for this once mighty Australian side with Gilchrist joining his fellow greats, McGrath, Warne & Hayden into retirement over the next 18 months.

Australia were suddenly vulnerable and they lost to South Africa at home for the first time ever in the summer of 2008/09. While Clarke finally established himself as the man England had to beat with 2 centuries in the 2009 Ashes, lacklustre bowling and team batting collapses would cost Australia the Ashes in England for the second time and another inquest was made, resulting in further reconstruction of the Australian cricket team.

Then came the Lara Bingle saga which engulfed Australia's test series in New Zealand. The saga which resulted in the termination of his engagement to Bingle didn't affect his performance in New Zealand; Clarke scoring 168 in the test in Wellington.

However, Clarke's performances were still not quite what you'd expect from the captain-to-be. Clarke still failed with the bat in key series against India and South Africa - his wicket often triggering the middle-order collapses which also sent Australia down the test rankings.

After the 2010-11 Ashes which saw Australia humiliated by England at home for the first time since the summer of 1986-87, Clarke assumed the captaincy from Ricky Ponting as yet another reconstruction of the team.

After some questionable decisions by Ponting during the series, many felt a need for a radical change in the philosophy surrounding the captaincy. Clarke was deemed to similar to Ponting and not radical enough ala Allan Border or Steve Waugh. I myself was tipping Cameron White as a better option for test captaincy even though he was mostly a one-day player.

My doubts were somewhat confirmed in the initial test series after the Ashes. Yes they beat a Sri Lanka side without Murali in Sri Lanka but they usually win over there. Against New Zealand, the questions returned once the Blackcaps figured out how not to throw away a test match in Hobart. Again he failed with the bat when his side needed the runs in Australia's 2nd innings and it was left to young David Warner to give the Australians some hope in that thriller in Hobart.

The historic loss to New Zealand in Hobart must have been a watershed moment for Clarke who has since looked excellent. Ok, the Indians are not the side they were but Clarke is well on the other side of the form chart and his historic triple ton in Sydney, the highest at the SCG, and the 4th highest by an Australian was magnificent and his subsequent double ton in Adelaide is a sign that Clarke's confidence and skill is perhaps finally flowing over.

Perhaps the Pup has now become a full-grown Dog - a bit late perhaps but better late than never.

The next months leading to the Ashes series of 2013 will be key to determining how Clarke measures up along his fellow Aussie greats. He may not be considered one of the greats in the future but he could be very well close. But lift a mediocre Australian side with his batting alone and the story could be different.